Obsession || h.s [completed]

5 | demons

In theory, everyone is scared of something. That -for the most part- does not include other people in my case.

I think everyone has their story, their reasons for everything they do. Sometimes people act on a whim, or do something they regret, but in the moment that action is justified in their mind. However stupid or seemingly unreasonable the action, there always is a reason.

So, my interest in the news story on the most recent murder in our area was of no shock to my dad.

I'm constantly curious and my parents would often find me in my old room, papers and psychology books scattered around as I sat on the floor.

That is, before my mom died.

Now I sit in our living room, my eyes trained on the tv as they explain the latest murder.

"Madelyn Blake is believed to be the most recent victim of an anonymous serial killer known as H.E.S. He often carves the three letters into the skin of his victims or somewhere on the crime scene. It is believed that Madelyn's murder is linked to those of others in the area because of the close proximity and similar circumstances to the other murders, some of which include this signiture."

"You're not getting sucked into that again are you?" Carol asks, her tone showing her distaste toward the subject.

She didn't know me when I had an excessive interest, but she had heard plenty of stories from my father.

"It's quite interesting, really." I insist, not taking my eyes off the screen.

"...around the same area of Dover, Wisconsin. The local police and criminal investigators exclusively allowed us to air the first  collection of each allegedly connected murder within the past four months on a map of the area."

The screen changed to an overveiw map of the town with red dots scattered across it.

"It's a waste of time if you ask me." Carol says, starting to really get on my nerves.

"Well it's better than getting into trouble, right?" I ask as I listen to what the lady on the tv is saying, ignoring the one standing off to my left who reeks of an awful, unflattering perfume.

"...and as you can see, each dot represents the location of each murder..."

I stand and walk toward the tv, feeling my blood run cold.

All of them are within five miles of our house, the closest on our street.

And, suddenly I am very much afraid.

"Don't stand so close to the tv, you'll go blind." Carol says sharply before finally leaving the room.

"There seems to be no correlation between them, other than the distinct signiture and the location of the murders. Investigators are researching the background of each victim in search for any other connections.Earlier today we spoke with Hannah, a close friend of Madelyn."

The screen switches to a girl around my age with long blonde hair and a heart shaped face. I think for a moment that I recognize her, but I'm unsure from where.

"Madelyn was such a beautiful person, inside and out. I still can't believe she's gone. We weren't friends for very long but..."

She takes a breath as tears spill over her eyes. She wipes them away, starting to smear her makeup.

"I just want to know who this killer is and why he had to take Maddie's life. She was too young to die. I hope they find him soon, I really do."